Producer Naoki Yoshida has officially announced Final Fantasy XIV ’s latest expansion Stormblood, slated for an early summer 2017 release date. The announcement came during Final Fantasy XIV ’s Fan Festival opening keynote, during which Yoshida also announced version 4.0 and a slew of upcoming changes.
Check out the Final Fantasy XIV : Stormblood teaser trailer below:
Stormblood will primarily take place in the new Ala Mhigo zone. Monk will be the expansion’s main class. According to Yoshida, “The main concept is getting Ala Mhigo back into Eorzean control from the Garlean empire.”
The storyline will start in a new zone, Rhalger’s Reach. Yoshida stated more “sprawling” new zones are on their way. He also stated that new jobs will accompany Stormblood ’s release, though he didn’t offer specifics, only pointing to his Marvel’s Scarlet Witch shirt. That might mean Red Mage, Dancer, or something entirely new.
Final Fantasy XIV ’s battle system will be overhauled for the new expansion to address fan concerns about being able to perform many high-level actions. “We’re regrouping and recategorizing skills so they’re categorized as roles rather than jobs,” Yoshida said. “From those shared role skills and actions, you’ll choose which you need.” This should help changing classes and skillsets feel less awkward, clearing up space on the hotbars.
The level cap will be raised from 60 to 70, there will be new primals, item inventory will be greatly expanded, and there will be an additional fourth residential area that will “directly affect the main storyline.” Final Fantasy XIV players can look forward to several patches before Stormblood launches.
Unfortunately for those still playing on PlayStation 3, Square Enix will end PS3 support for Final Fantasy XIV once Stormblood releases. The publisher will launch a special upgrade campaign, allowing players still on PS3 to upgrade to the PS4 version for free. The minimum PC specs for Final Fantasy XIV will also increase slightly, all of which should enable a real advance in the game's graphics.
Are you looking forward to the new Stormblood expansion for Final Fantasy XIV? Feel free to discuss everything we know about Stormblood in our comments section below.
